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Plastic control cabinet
Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2025 9:04 am
by Old_machinist
I have a large fiberglass control box for free. Should I use it or purchase a steel box. The fiberglass box does have a steel back plane.
Thanks
Charles Hopkins
Re: Plastic control cabinet
Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2025 11:54 am
by centroid467
Strongly recommended to save that for another project and get a steel box.
The steel backplate is good but fiberglass is not likely to provide any shielding effect for your components. And on a plasma cutter, you want to have as much protection from noise as you can get.
Re: Plastic control cabinet
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2025 1:37 pm
by dovrosenberg
On the first table I built, I used a plastic box to hold the plasma control components. My original thought was a steel box would have prevented WIFI or bluetooth connectivity to my CNC controller. I learned that WIFI and bluetooth was challenging for communication between mc PC and the g-code sender (I am using OpenBuilds Control). The other problem I found with my plastic box is that the splatter from the plasma cutting has pitted the plastic box all over.
For my acorn build, I bought a steel box and added cable glands instead of putting aircraft style interfaces on the box - less junctions is better. (
https://www.amazon.com/XHF2018-Glands-W ... 00355&th=1). I really like the shielded ethernet hard wired connection to Acorn
Re: Plastic control cabinet
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2025 2:00 pm
by centroid467
If a wireless connection is required, then I would recommend an external antenna when using a steel box. Of course, proximity to the wide-band noise generated by the arc is a concern with the antenna. So, the best solution is probably high quality shielded ethernet cable to an access point far away from the plasma torch.
Re: Plastic control cabinet
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2025 4:55 pm
by ShawnM
Use only a metal cabinet with a metal backplane. Plastic is for toys.
And do yourself a HUGE favor and get a split brush plate for cables to pass through. I see so many people adding dozens of so-called "aviation" connectors to their cabinet, which are all failure points, and I'm betting you'll never remove the cabinet from the machine. That means you just spent countless hours drilling, cutting, soldering and assembling cables that you'll never undo.
With the split brush plate you can run the cables directly where they go with no interruptions and/or splices in the cable or shields. Which is very important for noise.
There are dozens of options out there but here's an example:
https://www.icotek.com/en-us/products/b ... /kel-bes-s
Re: Plastic control cabinet
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2025 2:33 am
by pyrotech
ShawnM wrote: ↑Mon Mar 03, 2025 4:55 pm
Use only a metal cabinet with a metal backplane. Plastic is for toys.
And do yourself a HUGE favor and get a split brush plate for cables to pass through. I see so many people adding dozens of so-called "aviation" connectors to their cabinet, which are all failure points, and I'm betting you'll never remove the cabinet from the machine. That means you just spent countless hours drilling, cutting, soldering and assembling cables that you'll never undo.
With the split brush plate you can run the cables directly where they go with no interruptions and/or splices in the cable or shields. Which is very important for noise.
There are dozens of options out there but here's an example:
https://www.icotek.com/en-us/products/b ... /kel-bes-s
Not only will a split brush plate save time and frustration from the aviation style connectors, it makes it easier to change things in the future. instead of drilling a new hole. I am rebuilding my control cabinet, and a split brush plate will be used. that one suggestion alone will make things so much easier, Also if using finger duct, make sure you have enough room for the wires. I went to short on my first cabinet and was surprised at how fast it filled up once I started wiring the panel.
Re: Plastic control cabinet
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2025 9:44 pm
by ShawnM
pyrotech wrote: ↑Sat Apr 12, 2025 2:33 am
Also if using finger duct, make sure you have enough room for the wires. I went to short on my first cabinet and was surprised at how fast it filled up once I started wiring the panel.
Rule of thumb, calculate how large of a cabinet you THINK you’ll need and then buy the next larger one. You’ll always need more room than you think.